Cat Territory
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: (Post-Feast. Season 3 spoilers.) Beware the bad cat bearing a grudge.


_(Warning: Spoilers for Feast)_

* * *

**Cat Territory**

Plagg waited until Adrien was asleep before he lifted himself off his pillow to hover in the air. He looked around the room with undisguised disgust and decided that a midnight snack of camembert was just what he needed.

The tiny cat took great delight in savoring his cheese… but if his eyes happened to stay open the whole time, scanning the pale, sterile room for intruders, well….

Something was off. He could sense it. His very fur crackled with anticipation, and with that little stunt Fu had pulled the other night….

Oh yes, there was magic in the air.

_But __**I**__ am not a monster that goes bump in the night, _Plagg thought, allowing his eyes to glow brighter momentarily. _I am what those monsters __**fear**__._

Outside. He's outside.

His gaze sharpened and he gulped down the last of his cheese before whizzing out the window. He didn't go far—he didn't need to. Less than a block away from the mansion was a familiar white van. Plagg settled on top of a streetlight nearby; the light beneath him shattering with a mere passing thought.

Inside the van, he could see some flickering movement. Not Fu; the fool was far too old to be awake at this hour (and really, that should've been his first indication that he was too old to be the Guardian anymore). Instead, the flash of green confirmed what Plagg had already suspected; Wayzz was keeping watch over his master tonight.

_As am I,_ he thought with satisfaction, allowing his malevolent presence to expand just a bit. Wayzz immediately noticed, whirling to face him, his eyes wide. He didn't, however, leave the van.

_The old man must be worse off than they thought,_ Plagg mused, continuing to stare down the turtle across the street, _if Wayzz wasn't even coming out to meet a challenge._

Honestly, Plagg had nothing against Fu. The boy had been young and stupid, but hey, they'd all been there, right? At least he'd _tried_ to learn from his mistakes. And he'd allowed the kwamis he kept safe to instruct him and advise him from time to time, unlike some masters who'd insisted they be silent and obedient all the time.

But that didn't mean Fu was infallible.

And now, he'd messed up big time.

_I haven't slept for a few nights,_ Plagg thought at Wayzz, not caring if the old turtle heard him or not, _because of that little stunt your master pulled. _He narrowed his eyes.

_I'm not saying my kitten is perfect. He not. But he's __**mine**__._

Plagg allowed his aura to spread, forming a wall of darkness between the van and the mansion. Normal humans wouldn't be able to see it at all, but Wayzz… _he_ saw it. And, from the way his eyes widened even further, he knew exactly what it meant.

_This is my territory,_ Plagg hissed silently, his eyes glowing acid green in the darkness. _Enter at your peril._

He didn't move. Didn't actually say anything as he stared the little turtle down. Wayzz glanced anxiously behind him, no doubt checking on his master, and looked back up at the black cat.

_Please,_ he seemed to say, _try to understand! We only did it for the greater good!_

Plagg didn't budge. He continued to glare at the turtle.

_There's a reason mine and Tikki's are the strongest Miraculous,_ he wanted to remind his friend. _If I wanted to, I could end even the very __**concept**__ of you with a single word._

He wouldn't, of course. Millenia with no other kwamis (except Tikki), had been so lonely before. He had no desire to go back to those times.

But in the past, he had also had to sit back and watch as the Guardians took the Miraculous away from good bearers, leaving them defenseless and often surrounded by enemies. He had no desire to watch Tikki cry over another Joan of Arc or Hippolyta.

Maybe if these were corrupt bearers, he would happily flee back to the protection of the Guardian, but Adrien and Marinette were as pure as sunshine. They truly, honestly, only wanted to do their best for their city. They considered their kwamis to be friends, not servants or tools.

And Plagg loved them for it.

He'd had his share of immoral masters. Arrogant. Greedy. Bloodthirsty. All of them seduced by the absolute power his destruction offered. And he had no desire to wake up to one of them with only the memory of Adrien to remind him that there was still some good left in the world.

He hadn't had a good master in so long. Tikki usually got the sweet ones. Don't get him wrong, he'd been ready for teenage rebellion as soon as he saw the mansion and the lingering sadness in the blond boy's eyes. But Adrien continued to surprise him. He'd been Chat Noir for awhile now, and still didn't give into the temptation to Cataclysm his troubles away. It was like a breath of fresh air.

_Give me this. For a bit longer, he's mine. _

_And I will protect him._

Plagg continued to stare silently at Wayzz. Finally, the little turtle allowed his head to drop slightly and he backed up. Just a little, but it was enough.

Acknowledging Plagg's territory. A show of submission.

_Good._

If Master Fu tried anything again, Plagg was sure Wayzz would warn him about the possible _cat-astrophic _consequences_._

Satisfied, he allowed himself to float slowly upwards, his malevolent aura receding with him. This wasn't a retreat; Plagg had simply done what he'd come to do. It was time he got back.

He phased through the window with barely a thought and allowed himself a smile at the sight of the blond curled up on the bed. He knew Adrien wanted to cuddle with the tiny cat at night; he'd wanted it from the beginning. But the boy also respected Plagg's hatred of being smothered or locked up, and he had never pushed the issue.

"Nnng, Plagg?" Adrien called softly in his sleep. Plagg swooped down and gently nuzzled against the blond's cheek.

"Go back to sleep, Adrien," he murmured. Then—even though he hated to be coddled and trapped in tiny spaces, even though he knew Adrien would wake up and tease him with delight in his eyes—Plagg settled himself in the nook between Adrien's neck and shoulder and allowed a soothing purr to rumble through him as he curled up to sleep.

_Mine._


End file.
